What Is Laminate Flooring?
Laminate Flooring is fast becoming one of the most popular flooring options
. As technology advances have allowed laminate flooring to become almost in-distinguishable from real hardwood flooring. The colors and graining of quality laminate flooring is remarkable... and the new finishes and textures make it hard to tell even when FEELING the flooring if it is laminate flooring or real hardwood flooring. There are some major benefits to putting laminate flooring in your home instead of hardwood flooring.
First the cost is obviously a huge factor, you will save substantially by installing laminate floors. Not to mention they are fairly simple and straight forward to install. If you are remotely handy I would really suggest installing your flooring yourself. This can also cut your overall cost in half. Also unlike hardwood flooring, laminate floors are extremely durable, resistant to moisture, scratching, denting and about any other abuse that just daily living exposes your flooring too. So if you have a high traffic home, children, pets, etc. Laminate flooring with endure the daily abuse and still look like new for years to come. Where hardwood flooring is unable to withstand near the abuse of laminate flooring since it is softer and the surface is typically painted on... not a tough waterproof sheet applied in the factory. You can't buy the cheapest laminate on the market and expect it to be quality flooring. If you buy $0.59 a sq foot laminate, you get what you pay for.
If you are a "green" shopper and concerned about our environment... Laminate Flooring is often made with scrap lumber. Since the way it is milled it very different than hardwood flooring. Hardwood required larges planks of wood, which means that the scraps are all unusable. With Laminate Flooring they are able to use the smallest pieces of wood, which is much more environmentally friendly.
You also want to look at buying your flooring online. Yes you will be able to get a much higher quality flooring for far less than any home improvement center or flooring store. Since the overhead is so much higher for any store with a retail space, their margins have to be significantly higher. Often their salesmen also are making a commission on each sale, which is paid for by YOU.
Lets start from the top down....
1.WEAR LAYER - The wear layer is what protects the surface of the flooring. The best wear layer is made of aluminum oxide... which makes the surface practically waterproof. There is special testing done to ensure the durability of the wear layer. The testing give the wear layer what is called a AC Wear Rating. Typically you would find flooring rated at AC2, AC3, AC4 and AC5. See below for more information on the AC wear layer. To read more about AC Wear Layers click here.... Laminate Flooring AC Wear Ratings. This layer also will have the texture or surface applied as well... so this will determine whether the flooring is high gloss, matte, textured, handscraped, etc.
2.PHOTOGRAPHIC LAYER - The photographic layer is basically a photograph of the actual wood flooring. The photo "paper" or "decorative layer" as it is typically referred to is what has the color/wood grain pattern. This photographic layer will also determine whether the flooring is a full plank, 2-strip or 3-strip style plank.
3.CORE - The core density on your Laminate Flooring is very important and often overlooked. This is the core or base of your flooring. They are typically made from medium density fiberboard (MDF) or high density fiberboard (HDF). You want to be sure when purchasing your flooring that you are getting a HDF core. The denser your core is the better your flooring will handle moisture, the stronger your locking mechanism is, and the hard it is to dent and damage your flooring. A quick way to TEST your core density (since most companies can't or WON'T tell you the core density on their flooring) is to soak it in water. We recommend at least 24 hours completely submerged. If your sample falls apart, or swells substantially, then you know you have a low quality core. If you can see little or no swelling, then you know you have a higher quality core. The core is were almost every flooring that sustains water damage occurs. The top and the bottom of the floor are almost waterproof, you can literally caulk a glass of water to either and will see no damage. But the locking mechanism is cut into the core, and thus it is essentially exposed or "raw"... so if your core is not of high quality moisture will seek into it and swell, which can cause buckling and damage to the seams as well as the entire flooring. There are after-market products that you can help seal your seams with. We recommend a product called CLICK'N'SEAL. It is best to apply it as you install it. To order call 800-603-0727. However you can squeeze it into the joints after installation, especially if your flooring is a v-groove style.
4.BALANCING LAYER - The balancing layer adds strength to your floor. It also ads a moisture barrier to the bottom of your laminate flooring, so that it is really impervious to moisture from underneath. (however be sure to read about the core to understand how moisture damage occurs) It also ads an additional sound barrier. To be sure that the melamine is applied correctly for the best protection against moisture and sound, run your hand across the bottom of your laminate flooring. It should feel smooth and almost plastic like. If it feels rough or "wood like", then it likely was applied too thin. (many cheap manufactures cut all sorts of corners so they can make more money).
by: Suryakant Bhagekar
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